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A different kind of Bible story
I have often argued that if religions wish to encourage more youngsters into their folds, they need to learn to speak the language of children. Otherwise kids become bored very quickly or will completely misunderstand what adults are trying to teach them. Read more…
Images of Mary, true and false
Over the past two millennia, Christians have presented different images of Mary, some of which are true and some false.
A very popular image of the Blessed Virgin is the Mary of European Renaissance art — a beautiful woman holding a baby. Mary is represented as a white woman, and most Catholic Christians will have this image when they think of Mary. I believe Mary was a typical Semitic woman, more like a beautiful Arab-looking girl than a fair French or English girl. Read more…
Pentecost – A time to celebrate
On Pentecost, we celebrate the birthday of the Church and, this year, the 20th anniversary of the Southern African region’s Pastoral Plan, “Community Serving Humanity”, as Bishop MICHAEL WÜSTENBERG of Aliwal North explains. Read more…
Path to salvation
In his article “The long journey to meet other Christians” (April 22-29), Evans Chama gives the meaning of this phrase of St Cyprian of Carthage as “those outside the Church lacked the means of salvation, risking damnation”. Read more…
Catholic education today
Editorial by Michail Rassool
Our special Catholic education issue has become an annual event in which Catholic schools showcase themselves, and articles survey the complexities which they face in the modern age. The emphasis is usually on topicality, and as far as possible we strive to give stakeholders in Catholic education the space to voice their concerns.
Read more…
The passing of Fr Jack O’Brien
The Southern Cross mourns the death of our long-standing colunnist Fr Jack O’Brien OMI, who died at 89 on May 19, 2009, shortly after breaking a hip in a fall. Read more…
To capture young minds and hearts
IF there’s one thing that religion and the mass media have in common in South Africa, it’s the problem of getting the attention and interest of the 16-24 age group.
For most mainstream churches this is an old problem. When I look back at my matric class at Pretoria’s Christian Brothers College in 1960, I recall attending a reunion a few years after leaving school and finding that the vast majority of my Catholic classmates simply didn’t go to church anymore. Read more…
Listen to what Church is really saying
The Democratic Alliance leader of the Gauteng legislature, Lewis Bloom, recently wrote in support of Pope Benedict following the media controversy raised by the pontiff’s statement on Aids prevention on his visit to Africa in March. Read more…
The light of Mariannhill
By Sydney Duval
The celebrations about to begin at Mariannhill are a commemoration of extraordinary life and light — a good moment to reflect on signs of holiness and heroic virtue that may end in sanctification and South Africa would have its first saint. Read more…
Thanks for your prayers
Although I have been back at work about a month now, I haven’t managed to post anything until today. Being away on medical leave means that the work piles up and still greets you when you do return.
Thanks to all those who wrote with promises of prayer when I had my hip replacement operation. All went well and I continue to recover. I am now learning how to walk normally once again. The whole experience has been a time of patience, which continues. Read more…
